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  The customer was Clive, one of the local police deputies. He gave her a friendly wave and asked for a to-go coffee with a few muffins. She caught him glancing towards her strange guests.

  “Everything’s okay today, Ginger?” His eyes had a knowing twinkle. Ginger knew that Clive wasn’t ignorant or close-minded like some of Gray Creek, but he was sharp enough to know that it was better to ask.

  “Wonderful, Clive, thank you,” she said and threw in a free donut with his order. “Tell the boys down at the station that we say hi and thanks for all the hard work this holiday season.” He nodded with a slow smile and left, casting one last glance towards the Shifter men in the front of the shop.

  “Do you know everyone?” Connor piped up between bites of his sandwich.

  “It’s not hard in Gray Creek,” she admitted with a shrug. He seemed to be digesting this information.

  “Do you know a mean looking bastard named Nathan Blade?” he asked suddenly. She cocked her head to the side. That name rang a bell. As if summoned, Vanessa emerged from the back.

  “That’s the guy from the town over. He’s a bad Shifter,” she muttered and then covered her mouth. “Sorry. You know what I mean.”

  “I remember a news report about him,” Ginger said as she tapped her chin in thought. “I feel like they were investigating him for some kind of drug deal, but the charges fell through. I think Clive, the guy who was in here, was on that case. He was pretty upset about it.”

  Jack frowned, stewing in silence. She glanced at him. Connor crossed his arms and stopped eating.

  “He won’t be bothering people for much longer,” he said in a grave tone. Jack shot him a piercing look and slammed his hand on the table.

  “Ginger, we’re going to take the rest to go,” he said. She grabbed a bag from under the counter and watched as Jack sent Connor out to his truck. He couldn’t have been younger than twenty-three, but he looked like a schoolboy that’d been scolded. She shot a worrying frown at Jack as he approached with his tray.

  “Is everything okay? Does your brother have a problem with that guy?” she asked as she began bagging the food. Jack wiped a hand down his tired face.

  “My brother is gifted at sticking up for people when he should keep his mouth shut,” he admitted with a grunt. “Don’t worry. It’ll be settled soon.”

  But, she was worried. Her worry grew as she watched him leave. Vanessa moved on, babbling about a local concert while Ginger’s thoughts centered around Nathan Blade and Jack’s face.

  “I’m taking off early today,” she reminded Vanessa. They had another employee coming in to help with the afternoon shift. Ginger had errands that needed to be run and burning the candlestick at both ends this holiday season had left her more tired than usual. When two o’clock came around, she climbed into her car parked behind the shop. An eerie feeling came over her. She glanced around the parking lot, but it was empty besides Vanessa’s car and a customer for the neighboring antique shop. Yet, it felt as if someone was watching her. She rubbed her arms for warmth and tried to forget the sensation.

  —

  It was a few days later when Ginger was taking another early afternoon off. She was driving home, singing along to the Christmas songs on the radio, thinking about the Wellington brothers. They’d stop by every day for their same order of breakfast sandwiches although Connor was starting to branch out to pastries, too.

  Their ability to eat copious amounts of foods never ceased to amaze Ginger or some of her customers who sometimes watched in awe as the two men scarfed down their food with an odd grace. Connor seemed to be putting weight back on, a concern she’d heard Jack mention.

  A light flicked off in her brain. She smacked the steering wheel with glee. The afternoon was free and she could bring by a free meal for the brothers, especially Connor who could use the extra calories. She recalled that she’d started a pot roast this morning in her slow cooker. Perfect. When she arrived home, the roast was already cooked to perfection. She arranged two generous servings in some containers and packed them in a tote.

  There was an odd mood to her street today. Usually, the snowy road seemed peaceful. It wasn’t always pretty with the dirty gravel mixing in with the fresh snowflakes, but she wouldn’t have changed it for anything. Yet, today...it felt colder than usual. She remembered the feeling from the parking lot a few days earlier, but tried to push it out of her mind.

  You’re anxious and overworked, she reminded herself as she drove down the road. Jack’s truck wasn’t there, but that wasn’t unusual. He was sometimes running errands to deliver carved pieces to his clients. He’d shown her a few pictures of his latest side tables that he’d done for a local businessman. Connor typically stayed behind. She parked and hopped out of the car. Inside, she could see a light on. Maybe Connor had lit a fire and they could chat beside it for a few moments.

  She rang the doorbell and heard someone stirring inside. As she did, her phone began to ring.

  It was Jack. “What are you doing?”

  His voice sounded panicked. Her stomach dropped. Something was terribly wrong.

  Chapter 6

  Jack felt it in his bones on Thursday afternoon. He jerked upright in his truck, nearly swerving into a nearby mailbox. He ignored someone honking behind him and pulled over to let them pass. His senses were never wrong.

  Every morning, he and his brother had stopped to eat at Ginger’s bakery. Today had been no different. Ginger mentioned she would be off earlier than usual. Jack had to take a call with his clan and run an errand to a client, dropping off a polished new table. The citizens of Gray Creek seemed to relax after the Shifter had provided more carved creations. He’d somehow become quite popular in the span of a week.

  He dialed Ginger’s number. She picked up on the third ring.

  “What are you doing?” he asked. She made a little noise.

  “I was...well, I was actually visiting your brother. I thought I could bring him a snack since I was off early today.”

  His stomach dropped. “Where are you?”

  “On your front porch, silly. I can hear your brother inside. I just rang the doorbell.”

  An icy chill ran down his back. “Ginger, I just dropped my brother off at the store. Don’t go inside.” She inhaled sharply on the other line but something rumbled in the background. His heart slammed against his chest.

  “What? But, there’s...someone is coming...” she said. There was a sudden scuffle on the line. He nearly threw down his phone in frustration. Police. His brother. Him. Would that be enough? He had a fair idea of who was waiting for Ginger. He rang Connor.

  “Nathan’s at the cottage and he’s got Ginger. We’re calling the police. Shift and run towards home.” He slammed the phone down without waiting for an answer and began speeding towards the cabin at the end of Midnight Street, hoping desperately that he was wrong.

  —

  Jack arrived when Clive did in a squad car. His hardened eyes found the human man’s and they exchanged a knowing look when a cry rang out inside the cabin.

  “Nathan Blade,” he said darkly to the deputy. Clive nodded. His hand was hovering above the gun on his belt. “Connor and I may be able to take him down,” Jack muttered and cast a look behind him. His brother should be arriving any minute.

  “Not without backup,” Clive told him. He waved Jack to follow behind him as he drew his gun and they approached the cabin. Jack caught the scent of evil before he saw the edge of a large man’s head through the living room window. Clive motioned for a three-count pause. On the throw of three fingers, they burst through the door.

  Few things have inspired a rage that forced Jack to turn into his wolf form without prompting. Nathan Blade had Ginger tied to a chair and was standing behind her with his disgusting hand wrapped around her neck. She couldn’t breathe. He could hear her choking. There was nothing that could stop him. He was turning suddenly and Nathan wasn’t ready. He was big, but Jack was a faster Shifter. He tore into Nathan’s h
uman leg before the bastard with a buzz cut could start showing fur.

  Clive grabbed Ginger and dragged her towards the corner. Blood flew onto the floor. Jack crouched low, facing Nathan, in wolf form now, and admiring the blow he’d managed to put on his left leg. Jack bared his teeth and Nathan returned the favor as they circled one another. Jack heard Ginger gasp and his attention made Nathan lunge for the redhead. He knocked Clive to the ground. The officer had managed to unwind Ginger’s binds, but now Nathan had her pinned against the wall. She screamed.

  Suddenly, there was a blur of gray. Connor’s wolf form lunged for Nathan’s throat and they went tumbling across the room. Jack heard his brother cry out as Nathan snapped back against his neck and bit down hard. Jack ran across the room and slammed Nathan into the wall. Red was everywhere. Jack heard Ginger scream again.

  He was shifting again when Nathan’s body went down. He ran over to Connor’s unconscious body, slowly transforming back into his human body. There was too much blood. “Call an ambulance,” he cried out. Clive radioed for them immediately. Jack turned to look for Ginger.

  She’d pressed herself against the wall, her hand covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide with shock, but she was unharmed. He sighed in relief. Nathan hadn’t been able to do what he intended.

  Chapter 7

  Ginger wrapped her arms around herself as Connor was wheeled away in the hospital bed. “Will he be okay?” she asked in a breathless voice. Jack turned his hard eyes onto her.

  “He’s going to be fine,” he declared and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly. She didn’t have time to react when he yanked her towards him, burying her head beneath his chin. “You shouldn’t have been there. You could’ve been hurt, Ginger.”

  Her heart skipped. She felt her stomach erupt into butterflies, a feeling she hadn’t experienced since the honeymoon phase of her last relationship. “Jack, I...I didn’t know that would happen.”

  “Of course, you didn’t,” he whispered and she felt the fear rumbling in his chest. “You don’t understand that Shifters are different. We have a different culture. Some of those bastards aren’t afraid to hurt women.”

  She swallowed the hard lump in her throat, thinking back to Nathen’s mad eyes. His creepy stare as he had his hands around her throat. You’ll be like the last human I tore through. In twenty-four hours, she had seen a Shifter battle rage on in the night. A shiver shook her. It was an experience that she didn’t want to experience. She lifted her head to glance at Jack, his eyes closed and jaw clenched. Watching him turn into a wolf before her own eyes...she hadn’t been prepared. She knew that they were Shifters, but to see it herself?

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbled against his chest. The hospital waiting room was oddly empty around them. The nurses seemed to disappear behind the desk. A doctor emerged from the swinging doors and they separated.

  “Wellington?” he asked pointedly towards Jack. “Your brother’s going to be fine. We need to observe him overnight though, to ensure that there aren’t any internal injuries that we missed.”

  She stepped away from them, letting Jack lean towards the doctor and dissolve into a conversation of concerned whispers. The clock said that it was nearly midnight. Her brain felt like sludge, but her body was on fire. The rush from the fight had sent every cell in her body into overdrive. Even now, she was embarrassed to admit, that Jack looked ruggedly handsome in his slim dark jeans and rustic flannel. Good enough to eat. Desire bloomed within her.

  Her ex had never been this brave. He would’ve fainted in that fight. But, Jack was strong. Different. In a week, somehow, he’d flipped Ginger’s world upside down and back again. The doctor reached out to shake Jack’s hand. He turned to rejoin her and she tried to calm her nerves, knowing that he would be able to sense the slightest change within her. Damn those abilities of his.

  “Can you drive my truck?” he asked with an abashed face. “My adrenaline is going to have me going 100 miles an hour down that dirt road.”

  “Of course,” she said and grabbed his keys before he could protest. “You should stay with me.” The last bit was out of her mouth by accident, but she knew that she meant it. Her cheeks warmed. “I mean, if that’s okay with you?”

  A muscle in his jaw flexed. He rubbed his eyes. “If it’s okay with you. Although I’m not sure...I mean, you have to understand...I have a lot of energy right now. Ginger, I’m not in my right mind. My animal side is out. I can’t control my attraction around you. I’ll take you for my mate.”

  She pressed onward and marched out of the lobby, tugging at his sleeve to follow. With red cheeks, she already decided that she couldn’t go back on her suggestion. And she didn’t want to. She wanted Jack Wellington the way she’d never wanted a man before. Her desire swarmed her. She was sure that he could smell it.

  “I would like you to stay with me,” was all she managed to get out as they climbed into his truck. She said nothing else as she started the truck and turned the engine on. He was quiet, simmering with heat in the passenger seat, his arm leaning against the window.

  “Ginger,” he began. She raised a hand.

  “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Like you did at the cabin?”

  His words stung her. She nearly stopped the truck, but kept going and took a left onto the highway. “We both know this is different.”

  “You don’t deserve to get involved with a Shifter.” Silence lapsed between them. She willed the frustrated tears to stay beneath the surface. Minutes ticked by as she drove. “There will be more Nathan Blade situations. Maybe even worse than him. He’s nothing compared to what Shifters may have to deal with in life. Can you truly be with a man who isn’t a man at all?” The air was solid with tension.

  “Trust me, Jack.” That’s all she said as she pulled off towards her home. She maneuvered the car into her small driveway behind her own vehicle. When she put the car into park, they sat in a heated silence.

  She turned to him. “Will you kiss me?”

  He sucked in a sharp breath. “Ginger, please, I won’t be able to stop.”

  She turned to face him with steady eyes. “Kiss me now, Jack.”

  It was as if she’d torn the small tissue of a barrier between them with her own permission. He lunged for her in passion, an act that inspired not fear within her, but immense desire. Her hands found their way into his soft hair as his lips covered hers. She moaned into his mouth, his tongue sliding past her own. Sparks exploded in her head as his arms came around her, fighting against the awkward space of the armrest between them. Her hands pawed for the door handle and he followed her lead. They separated, panting heavily as they slid out of the truck.

  Her hands fumbled with the keys as he pressed against her from behind in front of the door to her house. His hands kneaded her shoulders, his lips going to trail along her neck as he planted white hot marks against the sensitive skin. She tried to keep from gasping and failed. Finally, the key turned in the lock. They crashed through the door. He slammed the door behind them, nearly knocking off a picture on her wall. She didn’t have time to fuss at him as he came towards her and lifted her onto the kitchen counter.

  His were the kind of kisses that she’d seen in movies, the kind of kisses that she’d never known she needed. She was breathless and begging for more. There was nothing more she wanted than to wrap her legs around him and make love into the night after watching him save her.

  He dipped his mouth down towards her neck and she inhaled sharply, feeling his teeth nip against the soft expanse of her skin. His gaze rose to meet hers.

  “There’s something I can do...if you want...to show that you’re mine,” he told her. She quivered against his grasp.

  “Do it,” she said. Her tone was more demanding than she intended, but desire swirled around her. She couldn’t hold herself back. Her heart fluttered as he bit into the skin and sucked, an unspeakable pleasure erupting in her core. An intoxicating warmth came over her entire body. She leaned
against him with a light head and he caught her mouth again with his own. His mouth tasted of metal and pleasure.

  She panted wildly, staring intently into his hazy golden eyes. His stare made her knees weak. He beckoned her towards him and she pointed towards the bedroom. Their ragged breathing filled the house. They tumbled together onto the bed. She melted against him, feeling his powerful muscles beneath the shirt. He smelled of the earthy forest, a scent that invaded her senses. His hand reached for her curves, sculpting them with his rough touch. His fingers drifted towards her panties and she cried out as he began his explorations.

  They writhed together in perfect harmony. She threw her head back as his hand slipped beneath the fabric and began to explore her folds. His other hand went to explore her breasts. Every second of his touch felt like a thousand flames of pleasure on her flesh. His mouth found one of her nipples as he rocked her towards a finishing crescendo of ecstasy.

  “More,” she begged and he knew immediately what she meant. She pulled at his clothes, running her hands beneath his shirt and fingering his solid muscles. He yanked off his shirt and then his pants. His underwear cupped him perfectly and she licked her lips in anticipation. In a second, they were both naked, bare and waiting for one another. His warm hands ran over her body as he hovered above her and then entered her. Their fingers interlaced as he rocked against her, pumping inside her. They became synced in perfect harmony until finally, with a final movement, they brought each other to the ultimate end of pleasure.

  She collapsed against him in bed. Her chest rose and fell, trying to catch up. She threw a hand over her face in contentment. His fingers trailed the edges of her curves as they reclined among the soft sheets.

  “You weren’t supposed to happen,” she informed him. He smirked, a wolfish expression taking over his face as it often did. She stared at his glittering eyes.